Education, From The Capitol To The Classroom

Stories about students: How does education policy affect the way students learn and grow? Can schools meet their needs as they balance ramped-up testing with personal changes and busy schedules? And are students who need help getting it?

Stories about educators: How are those responsible for implementing education policy in schools − from classroom teachers, to district administrators, to school board members − affected by changes at the top? And how well do they meet their challenge of reaching students with varying abilities and needs?

Stories about school assessment: With an increased push for 'accountability' in schools, what can test scores tell us about teacher effectiveness and student learning − and what can't they tell us? What does the data say about how schools at all levels are performing?

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Stories about government influence: Who are the people and groups most instrumental in crafting education policy? What are their priorities and agendas? And how do they work together when they disagree?

Stories about money: How do local, state, and federal governments pay to support the education policies they craft? How do direct costs of going to school − from textbooks to tuition − hit a parent or student's bottom line? And how do changing budgets and funding formulas affect learning and teaching?

Indiana Hits High Notes With 'Education Reform Idol' Judges

August 11, 2011 | 10:24 AM

There may not really have been anything on the line at the Education Reform Idol event in Washington — other than a trophy the organizers had bought on Craigslist, that is, and the title of “Reformiest State 2011″ from the right-leaning Fordham Institute.

That didn’t stop Tony Bennett from going into Thursday’s debate with guns blazing.

“I feel like Larry Byrd when he showed up in the locker room before the first ever three-point contest and said, ‘I’m here to find out who’s gonna finish second,” Bennett said, drawing some chuckles from the audience and his competitors from Florida, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. “I’m not here to be self-deprecating.”

In the end, the judges swooned over the education overhaul Bennett championed, voting Indiana “Reformiest State 2011″ in a cakewalk.

Seriously, though, Indiana’s sweeping overhaul of education has already garned a lot of praise in certain national circles. Like on Tuesday, a national report sizing up teacher evaluation laws ranked Indiana the best among five states.

One commenter on our original Ed Idol post made the point, “Perhaps it would be much more interesting to hold ‘Education Idol’ after their laws take effect, and after it becomes clear what effect they will have in classrooms and school corporations.”

Bennett argued Indiana had been working particularly hard to implement its legislation.

“If you want to talk about passing flashy legislation and then implementing flashy legislation, come to Indiana. We’re very proud of what we’ve done, we want to do more,” he said.